American Indian and Alaska Native women suffer from the highest rates of domestic violence, rapes and sexual assaults. The majority of the offenders are non-Indian, a situation that has prompted legislation to recognize tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians.

But Republican leaders in the House balked at including such provisions in H.R.4970, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.
The landscape, however, appears to be shifting following the introduction of H.R.6625,
the Violence Against Indian Women Act, by four Republicans, along with a letter from 10 Republicans urging action on the issue.

“We believe there is a path to bipartisan agreement on the tribal provisions of VAWA. We remain hopeful that a comprehensive VAWA bill can and will move forward before this session of Congress ends,” Jacqueline Pata, the executive director of NCAI, said in a press release.